A friend Siro explained to me what LARP was, and my first thought was: “Wow, that sounds so stupid that I have to try it.”
It was in March 2010, at a mountain lodge near Zagreb. Since this was a LARP in Croatia, it was completely normal that alcohol was involved—I downed about a liter and a half of mulled wine along with a delicious dinner. There were just under 20 participants. I played a character who was supposed to be some kind of ranger, I guess, and the only thing I had for a costume was a jacket worn inside out and some face paint for tattoos.
The best moment of the game happened due to a mistake, as I wasn’t too familiar with the rules. Ivan Žalac and I were sitting at a table, having an intense but entertaining argument, when he suddenly pulled a knife on me. I grabbed his wrist, and at that moment, I quickly drew my own knife, which I had tucked into my boot. He grabbed my wrist as well. Now, technically, this kind of physical interaction wasn’t allowed in the game, but since Ivan was an experienced player, he rolled with it, and we ended up in an intense Mexican standoff, threatening each other. The other players around us found it entertaining too. In the end, no blood was spilled.
That’s when I realized what LARP could be, and I eagerly looked forward to the next game, which I knew would be even better. I was also a bit confused by one of the players, who was dressed like Zorro the Avenger, but I quickly learned that pretty much anything can pass as a costume.
